06/01/2025
Blanched vs. Unblanched All-Purpose Flour: What’s the Difference?
When you’re baking or cooking, the flour you choose can make a difference in your final dish. You’ve probably come across terms like blanched and unblanched all-purpose flour and wondered: what exactly is the difference? Let’s break it down.
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What is All-Purpose Flour?
All-purpose flour is a versatile type of wheat flour that works well in a variety of baked goods, including cookies, cakes, breads, and pastries. It’s usually milled from a blend of hard and soft wheat and has a moderate protein content, giving it a good balance of strength and tenderness.
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Blanched vs. Unblanched: What’s the Deal?
The terms blanched and unblanched usually come up more frequently with almond flour than with all-purpose wheat flour. However, some people mistakenly extend these terms to regular all-purpose flour. Here’s why:
• Blanched Flour: In the case of almond flour, blanched means the skins of the almonds are removed before grinding, giving you a smooth, light-colored flour. For wheat flour, the analogous term would be white flour—where the bran and germ are removed during milling, leaving behind only the endosperm. Most commercial all-purpose flour is essentially “blanched” in this sense because it’s refined and doesn’t contain bran or germ.
• Unblanched Flour: This refers to flour that still has the almond skins (for almond flour) or bran and germ (for wheat flour) included. In wheat flour, this is typically called whole wheat flour. It has a darker color, coarser texture, and richer, nuttier flavor because it contains the entire grain.
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So, What’s the Difference in All-Purpose Flour?
Technically, the term blanched isn’t used with all-purpose wheat flour. All-purpose flour is refined—meaning the bran and germ are removed during milling. So it’s already like “blanched” flour. If you’re seeing “unblanched” all-purpose flour, it might be a marketing or labeling confusion.
Key Takeaways:
✅ All-purpose flour: Refined (like blanched), no bran or germ, smooth, white texture.
✅ Whole wheat flour: Contains bran and germ (like unblanched), darker color, coarser texture, richer flavor.
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Which Should You Use?
• All-purpose flour: Best for most baked goods that need a smooth texture—cookies, cakes, muffins.
• Whole wheat flour: Adds nutrition and a nutty flavor but can make baked goods denser. Best for heartier breads, muffins, and rustic baked goods.
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The Bottom Line
While blanched and unblanched aren’t typically used to describe all-purpose flour, they’re important terms for nut flours like almond flour. For wheat flour, the equivalent distinction is between refined (white) flour and whole wheat flour. Knowing this difference helps you choose the right flour for your recipe and understand what you’re working with in the kitchen.
